Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
, art museum, and outdoor
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
park located in
Grand Rapids Township,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Opened in 1995, Meijer Gardens quickly established itself in the
Midwest as a major cultural attraction jointly focused on horticulture and sculpture.
Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park includes a tropical conservatory, an 8-acre Japanese garden, major works of modern and contemporary sculpture on the grounds and indoors, along with a series of outdoor gardens and nature trails.
It is a well attended cultural site in Michigan, having attracted 750,000 visitors annually between 2015 - 2017.
Meijer Gardens has continued to grow its permanent collection of sculpture from major figures in
Modern
Modern may refer to:
History
* Modern history
** Early Modern period
** Late Modern period
*** 18th century
*** 19th century
*** 20th century
** Contemporary history
* Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century
Phil ...
and
Contemporary art
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...
while building additional structures for indoor and outdoor gardens. In 2018, the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park was included as one of "Eleven of the World's Greatest Sculpture Parks" by
''Artsy''.
History
In the early 1980s, the West Michigan Horticultural Society, a non-profit organization in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
, was searching for a nearby site in order to establish a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
and
conservatory.
As early as 1986, a member of the Horticultural Society approached
Frederik Meijer
Frederik Gerhard Hendrik Meijer (December 7, 1919 – November 25, 2011) was an American billionaire businessman who was the chairman of the Meijer hypermarket chain, headquartered near his former hometown in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Early life
...
, (founder of
Meijer
Meijer Inc. (, ; stylized as meijer) is an American supercenter chain that primarily operates throughout the Midwest. Its corporate headquarters are in Walker, Michigan, which is a part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. Founded in 1934 ...
grocery
megastores), to request the donation of a parcel of land.
The site, which contained a stream and wetland areas, had originally been earmarked by Meijer for the construction of a new superstore.
However, an alternative location for the store was found, allowing the more environmentally sensitive lands to be used for the public garden.
In January 1991, Meijer, Inc. donated of land in
Grand Rapids Township, Michigan
Grand Rapids Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,661 at the 2010 census.
The township is bordered by Grand Rapids to the west and East Grand Rapids to the southwest, but t ...
to establish the new public garden. A $13 million capital campaign to develop the land into a public park was led by Earl Holton and additional support was provided by the Meijer Corporation’s vendors.
By 1993, Frederik Meijer and fellow Grand Rapids environmental philanthropist
Peter Wege of Steelcase were walking the grounds of the early park, then known as the Michigan Botanic Garden, and making plans for the nature trail.
Frederik and Lena Meijer, of the
Meijer Corporation, were instrumental in supporting the development of the project through the donation of land, financing, and by providing their sculpture collection to the park. The museum was renamed the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in their honor in 2002. The Gardens provided an outlet for Fred Meijer's growing collection of large-scale sculpture from
Marshall Fredericks and for Lena Meijer's love of plants and flowers. Three areas of the park reflect the interests of Lena Meijer: a tropical conservancy and a children's garden (each named in her honor), and a replica of the family farm on which she was raised in
Amble, Michigan. Meijer Gardens first opened to the public on April 20, 1995. The mission of Meijer Gardens is to support horticulture and sculpture in order to encourage appreciation of the natural environment and
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
.
In its first 25 years of operation, Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has attracted more than 13 million visitors.
Horticulture
Conservatory
The Lena Meijer Conservatory, a five-story, facility, supports tropical plants from around the world.
The conservatory houses diverse tropical plants, including
coconut palms from the Pacific, fig trees from India, exotic
orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...
s from Central and South America, and Asiatic
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
and
banana trees.
Additional indoor gardens include a carnivorous plant house, an arid house for cacti and desert vegetation, and an area with a Victorian theme.
Children's Garden
Opened in June 2004, the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden was also inspired by and named for Lena Meijer.
As with much of the larger park, this garden contains a number of sculptures. Included among the areas designed for children within the Lena Meijer Children's Garden are a log cabin, a labyrinth, and a rock quarry where kids can dig for buried fossils.
Woodland Shade garden
The Gwen Frostic Woodland Shade Garden, dedicated in June 1998, commemorates the influence of
Gwen Frostic
Gwen Frostic (April 26, 1906 – April 25, 2001) born as Sara Gwendolen Frostic, was an American artist, entrepreneur, author, and Michigan Women's Hall of Fame inductee. A lifelong resident of Michigan, Frostic is known for her naturalist, Linoc ...
, a life-long Michigan resident, artist, author and businesswoman known for her naturalistic block prints of local flora and fauna. The garden features woodland plants including
fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...
s,
hosta
''Hosta'' (, syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the fa ...
s,
bleeding hearts,
rhododendrons, and
azaleas.
Japanese Garden
Opened on June 10, 2015, the 8-acre Richard and Helen DeVos Japanese Garden supports horticulture and sculpture. Designed by
Hoichi Kurisu
is a noted designer of Japanese gardens, active in the United States.
Kurisu studied landscape design and construction under Kenzo Ogata in Tokyo, Japan. He then was Landscape director for the Garden Society of Japan (Nihon Teien Kyokai) (1968 ...
, president and founder of Kurisu International, Inc., the garden includes a variety of horticultural elements, including
zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
-style and
bonsai gardens, scenic bridges, waterfalls, and a tea house.
Kurisu's garden contains several contemporary sculptures by major international artists selected especially for the location. The Japanese Garden includes a ten-foot work in granite by contemporary artist
Anish Kapoor
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK t ...
.
Nature trail
The Wege Nature Trail, named for Peter M. Wege,
is a paved path that winds through a forested section of the property. The trail presents various native ecosystems of West Michigan and provides sites for bird watching along areas of natural
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
and
wetlands. . It is connected to the Frey Boardwalk.
The Peter M. Wege Library, which holds reference books and periodicals on
horticulture
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
and
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
, is also named for Peter Wege.
Other features
The outdoor gardens include a New American Garden by influential
landscape designer James van Sweden, known for his painterly approach to garden and landscape design,
and an English Perennial & Bulb Garden from designer
Penelope Hobhouse
Penelope Hobhouse MBE (born 20 November 1929), née Chichester-Clark, is a British garden writer, designer, lecturer and television presenter.
Early life
Born into an Anglo-Irish family in Moyola Park, Castledawson, she is the daughter of Jame ...
, an award winning garden designer, lecturer and author.
In 2003, two additional aspects of the garden were completed and opened to the public. The Michigan Farm Garden, with heirloom vegetables, orchards, and figurative animal sculptures, provides families with the opportunity to experience the context of a 1930s farm complete with a 100-year-old barn and replica farmhouse from Lena (Rader) Meijer’s childhood, and the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater, an outdoor musical and theatrical venue with a covered stage and tiered lawn seating for 1,900 persons. Past musicians featured in the Amphitheater include
Harry Connick Jr.,
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
,
Sheryl Crow, the
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as ...
, and
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...
.
Sculpture
Meijer Gardens includes a outdoor sculptural park, which opened on May 16, 2002.
The museum has exhibited the work of world-renowned artists including
Jonathan Borofsky
Jonathan Borofsky (born December 24, 1942) is an American sculptor and printmaker who lives and works in Ogunquit, Maine.
Early life and education
Borofsky was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Carnegie M ...
,
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, his static "stabiles", and hi ...
,
Tony Smith,
Anthony Caro
Sir Anthony Alfred Caro (8 March 192423 October 2013) was an English abstract sculptor whose work is characterised by assemblages of metal using ' found' industrial objects. His style was of the modernist school, having worked with Henry Moor ...
,
Antony Gormley,
Mark di Suvero
Marco Polo di Suvero (born September 18, 1933, in Shanghai, China), better known as Mark di Suvero, is an abstract expressionist sculptor and 2010 National Medal of Arts recipient.
Biography Early life and education
Marco Polo di Suvero was bor ...
,
Anish Kapoor
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK t ...
,
Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer (born July 29, 1950) is an American neo-conceptual artist, based in Hoosick, New York. The main focus of her work is the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces and includes large-scale installations, advertising billboards, ...
,
Richard Hunt,
Joan Miró,
David Nash,
Arnaldo Pomodoro
Arnaldo Pomodoro (born 23 June 1926) is an Italian sculptor. He was born in Morciano, Romagna, and lives and works in Milan. His brother, Giò Pomodoro (1930–2002) was also a sculptor.
Pomodoro designed a controversial fiberglass crucifix fo ...
,
Keith Haring
Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...
,
Laura Ford, and
Kenneth Snelson
Kenneth Duane Snelson (June 29, 1927 – December 22, 2016) was an American contemporary sculptor and photographer. His sculptural works are composed of flexible and rigid components arranged according to the idea of 'tensegrity'. Snelson prefer ...
among others.
Permanent collection
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park primarily collects the work of sculptors.
It also contains drawings, provided they were created by artists who identify as sculptors.
As of May 2015, the permanent collection contained over 300 artworks. It features works by prominent British and American sculptors including
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg (January 28, 1929 – July 18, 2022) was a Swedish-born American sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring large replicas of everyday objects. Another theme in his work is soft sculpture versions ...
,
Louise Bourgeois
Louise Joséphine Bourgeois (; 25 December 191131 May 2010) was a French-American artist. Although she is best known for her large-scale sculpture and installation art, Bourgeois was also a prolific painter and printmaker. She explored a varie ...
,
Richard Serra
Richard Serra (born November 2, 1938) is an American artist known for his large-scale sculptures made for site-specific landscape, Urban area, urban, and Architecture, architectural settings. Serra's sculptures are notable for their material q ...
,
Barbara Hepworth, and
Henry Moore, in addition to major works by the international artists
Coosje van Bruggen
Coosje van Bruggen (June 6, 1942 – January 10, 2009) was a Dutch-born American sculptor, art historian, and critic.Kino, Carol. January 13, 2009 ''The New York Times''. She collaborated extensively with her husband, Claes Oldenburg.
Biography ...
,
Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...
, Beverly Pepper, and
Jaume Plensa
Jaume Plensa i Suñé (; born 23 August 1955) is a Spanish visual artist, sculptor, designer and engraver. He is a versatile artist who has also created opera sets, video projections and acoustic installations. He worked with renowned Catalan t ...
.
Fred and Lena Meijer purchased a second work by glass artist
Dale Chihuly in 2009 as an addition to the permanent collection.
In 2016, the museum acquired the archives of sculptor
Beverly Pepper
Beverly Pepper (née Stoll; December 20, 1922 – February 5, 2020) was an American sculptor known for her monumental works, site specific and land art. She remained independent from any particular art movement. She lived in Italy, primarily in ...
, over 900 works on paper.
Following the museum's acquisition of ''Iron Tree'' by
Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...
, a major exhibition of his work was held at the Gardens in 2017.
The collection contains numerous outdoor monumental sculptures throughout the property and also indoors in the conservatory, specialty gardens, and gallery. Among the many highlights for visitors is ''The American Horse'', sculpted by
Nina Akamu
Nina Akamu (born 1955) is a Japanese-American artist known for her sculpture. She is presently living in Rhinebeck, New York.
Early years and education
Nina Akamu was born in 1955 in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Her father was a career Air Force se ...
as a homage to the original commission to
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
of the
Duke of Milan, as well as works by
Auguste Rodin and
Degas
Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings.
Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is espec ...
in the Victorian Conservatory.
Temporary exhibitions
The Sculpture Program of the Gardens features three temporary exhibitions annually. Featured exhibitions have included works by
Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy (born 26 July 1956) is an English sculptor, photographer, and environmentalist who produces site-specific sculptures and land art situated in natural and urban settings.
Early life
Goldsworthy was born in Cheshire on 26 Ju ...
,
Tom Otterness
Tom Otterness (born 1952) is an American sculptor best known as one of America's most prolific public artists. Otterness's works adorn parks, plazas, subway stations, libraries, courthouses and museums around the world, notably in New York City's ...
,
Magdalena Abakanowicz
Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz-Kosmowska (20 June 1930 – 20 April 2017) was a Polish sculptor and fiber artist. She was known for her use of textiles as a sculptural medium and her outdoor installations. She is widely regarded as one of Poland ...
, and
George Rickey
George Warren Rickey (June 6, 1907 – July 17, 2002) was an American kinetic sculptor.
Early life and education
Rickey was born on June 6, 1907, in South Bend, Indiana. When Rickey was still a child, his father, an executive with Singer S ...
.
Seasonal events
![Heliconius Melpomene Rosina (251419757)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Heliconius_Melpomene_Rosina_%28251419757%29.jpeg/1200px-Heliconius_Melpomene_Rosina_%28251419757%29.jpeg)
Meijer Gardens supports two large seasonal exhibition events, both started in 1995 when the facility first opened: ''The Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming'', and ''Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World''.
''Butterflies Are Blooming'' is held annually in the Lena Meijer Conservatory from March 1 through April 30; it is one of the largest temporary butterfly exhibits in the nation, with thousands of tropical butterflies from Central America, South America, and Asia. The butterfly exhibit is well attended and popular with visitors of all ages.
''Christmas and Holiday Traditions around the World'' takes place from November through the first week of January. The Gardens' annual event includes the display of holiday items and symbols of more than 40 nations and cultures. In 2012, the event reportedly offered "horse-drawn carriage rides" through the "candle-lit sculpture park".
Gallery
File:MeijerAridRoom.jpg, Arid room cacti 2006
File:Meijer Gardens October 2014 25 (Michigan's Farm Garden).jpg, Michigan's Farm Garden
File:Meijer Gardens October 2014 44 (Sculpture Park).jpg, Meijer Gardens, 2014
File:Meijer Gardens October 2014 24 (Woodland Shade Garden).jpg, Gwen Frostic Woodland Shade Garden
File:Meijer Gardens October 2014 09 (Children's Garden).jpg, Boardwalk and wetlands
File:Meijer Gardens October 2014 07 (Children's Garden).jpg, Children's Garden
File:Meijer Gardens October 2014 06 (Children's Garden).jpg, Children's Garden
File:Sculpture by Jaume Plensa from 2005 entitled babel i-you-she-he.jpg, Jaume Plensa
Jaume Plensa i Suñé (; born 23 August 1955) is a Spanish visual artist, sculptor, designer and engraver. He is a versatile artist who has also created opera sets, video projections and acoustic installations. He worked with renowned Catalan t ...
Management
David Hooker serves as president and CEO at Meijer Gardens.
In 2022, Meijer Gardens announced the hire of Suzanne Ramljak as Chief Curator.
Architecture
The Lena Meijer Conservatory was designed by Cox, Medendorp and Olson,
and utilizes
galvanized steel
Galvanization or galvanizing ( also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are submerg ...
for the frame construction.
In May 2019, the New York partners
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (also known as Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects , Partners) are a husband-and-wife architectural firm founded in 1986, based in New York. Williams and Tsien began working together in 1977. Their studio focu ...
were selected to re-envision and expand the facilities at Meijer Gardens, with the assistance of local partners Progressive AE and Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. The expanded and updated 69,000 square foot welcome center, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, displays a large
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
sculpture by Spanish artist
Jaume Plensa
Jaume Plensa i Suñé (; born 23 August 1955) is a Spanish visual artist, sculptor, designer and engraver. He is a versatile artist who has also created opera sets, video projections and acoustic installations. He worked with renowned Catalan t ...
carved from four white marble slabs, each at 19 feet in height.
See also
*
List of botanical gardens in the United States
References
External links
Meijer Gardens WebsiteGallery of 2D & 3D photos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
Museums in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Geography of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Botanical gardens in Michigan
{{Commons cat, Botanical gardens in Michigan
Michigan
Botanical gardens
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''bot ...
Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in the United States
Outdoor sculptures in Michigan
Art museums and galleries in Michigan Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by ar ...
Parks in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Art museums established in 1995
1995 establishments in Michigan
Butterfly houses